As demand surges, half of prescriptions needed for Covid-19 patients on ventilators are going unfilled
As the pandemic continues to spread across the U.S., prescriptions for medicines needed for Covid-19 patients who are placed on ventilators are being filled and shipped to hospitals only 53% of the time, down from 72% last month, according to new data.
The decline reflects surging demand for more than a dozen sedatives, anesthetics, painkillers, and muscle relaxants, which have been in short supply. The findings raise the possibility that it could become more difficult for health care providers to place these patients on ventilators, because the drugs are used to help manage pain and comfort levels while a patient is on mechanical ventilation.
